How times change

Chapters

Revisit of the past
A Special Present
Careful Steps Forward
Spike's Resolve

Revisit of the past

The future.

Over twenty years, to be precise, since the defeat of Queen Chrysalis, Tierek, and Cozy Glow by the gathered nations around Equestria. Many events happened following that, though most jarring was the retirement of the princess sisters, Luna and Celestia, freeing their position in Canterlot to the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. The event was unsettling for the entire nation, requiring six months of preparations, a full month of the actual transfer of powers and legal documentation, and several months afterwards for Twilight and Spike to fall into place into a somewhat daily routine that allowed them to address the duties that they now had before them.

One of the most taxing aspects for Twilight and Spike was the moving from Ponyville back to Canterlot, uprooting where the pair had been for around ten years and leaving behind the friends they had made at that time. It was only some time after the move and things became more settled for the duo that a day was set aside each year for all seven of the friends to meet up and reconnect, but without everyone living in the same town it was otherwise too impractical for regular meetups.

For Twilight, this was not an especially difficult final step as she surprisingly quickly fell into her semi obsessive habits of focusing on work to the exclusion of all else, only this time, work was the governing of Equestria and nothing escaped her meticulous organizational obsession.

Spike had it a bit harder as initially, he tried to break her of such habits as he usually did, but the truth was he didn’t need to. Things such as minor chores were handled by the employed royal maids and guards and Twilight’s need for food and basic necessities were staunched when she was given access to Celestia and Luna’s secret of longevity; the Golden Apple Tree. The tree was merely a simple apple tree in shape and size growing alone in a secluded field inside the castle grounds. It had been discovered in ages past and was notable initially as all tools and spells that attempted to fell it were deflected. As a result, when the nations were established, Canterlot was built around the tree. However it never bore fruit, at least initially, until Celestia and Luna rose to power and began investigating it. The tree only reacted to Alicorn magic and in doing so, would produce a single apple for each Alicorn present, that was completely and utterly golden, inside and out. Consuming the apple paused the effects of aging for a single year and was signified by the mane of the alicorn adopting an otherworldly, magical heft to it, signifying the magical charge running through their body. It also severely dampened the actual bodily needs for food and drink. Ceasing to eat the apples causes no harm other than the effects of aging continuing to proceed as normal. A peculiar effect occurred when one year, Twilight attempted to share the apple she had received with Spike. While Twilight was able to split the apple in half with her magic, when Spike touched the half handed to him, it instantly shot out of his grasp and rejoined with the initial half still in Twilight’s possession. When Twilight attempted to hand the entire apple to him, it vanished and reappeared on the tree, signifying rather clearly that each apple was designated for only one being, and that being was only to be an Alicorn.

As a result of these changes to Twilight and life in general, Spike initially had nothing to do as all of his housework and realist awareness was unneeded. That is, until he was found to be an excellent mediator between species relations, able to re-word accidentally insulting or harsh statements into more flat and generalized statements for the conflicting parties, as well as being an expert on how each race could best compromise on certain topics, leading to him becoming the Official Friendship Ambassador. Said situations kept Spike plenty occupied and he found himself working very hard at it, often travelling around to different nations before returning to Canterlot. This was combined with a rather generous growth spurt, adding a great deal of height to his frame and no shortage of muscle, almost as if his body was making up for the lack he had put on through his years in ponyville, and though his voice shifted slightly, it continued to keep the kind sweetness that most associated with it.

He also found himself occupied when Twilight undertook a rather aspiring and promising unicorn student in Luster Dawn, using his realist skills to try to steer her back onto track when she wavered off of it, but he had a notably difficult time of it as Twilight often undermined his attempts and instead joined her student in many topics, both utterly ignoring Spike. This came to a head shortly after Spike had settled a very difficult meeting between the Abyssinians and Diamond Dogs; Luster Dawn doubted friendship as a whole and refused to listen to anything Spike had to say, even ignoring his title as Official Friendship Ambassador and any experience he may have had. This was done on a day when the yearly friendship gathering with their friends was to take place, dominating the day and turning it into an extended lesson, not concluding until Luster Dawn had moved to Ponyville to emulate a mirror growth of Twilight herself among the populace, leaving essentially no time for the old friends to share little more than passing words before nightfall.

With Luster Dawn away and Twilight’s teachings reduced to roughly once a week letters, life reached a more routine pattern for the two as Twilight continued her royal duties while Spike would be called to do various other Ambassador meetings. While some called him to other lands, most of those issues had been quelled and as time marched on, he was soon only doing such travelling perhaps once a month, if even that. Most meetings were scheduled to meet him at the castle and were summarized within a few minutes, though he started to notice that some of the folks who arranged to have a meeting with him were fans offering support from the hearsay and somewhat embellished stories that had been passed down over the years, usually crystal ponies.

This was all well and good, but his time for actual recreation had fallen apart and not been addressed for quite some time. It was fine when he first moved back to Canterlot, was adjusting to the new role, and even in helping with Luster Dawn and various political squabbles, but there was no real playing or interaction with anyone beyond Twilight and the palace staff. Spike was able to amuse himself in his hobby of comic books and collecting some Ogres and Oubliettes figurines and spending his time painting them, but the charm of all those things started to wear thin when it was the only thing he was doing in his time off and had no one to share them with.

This was tolerable for a week, even tolerable for a month, but when it turned into several months, and then over a year, it tended to become incredibly oppressive.

It was during such a time that Spike had just returned from royal peace treaty talks and was a bit winded, but satisfied with the progress that had been made between the Changelings and Griffons. The main problem stemmed from finances as Griffons are notably stingy with their money, often wanting to haggle to get the lowest price possible to the point of negative profit for the seller. Changelings were innately friendly and had only limited experience in finances with commerce and shopping only becoming a part of daily life a little over twenty years ago, thus were naive when the otherwise harshly money savvy Griffons wanted to make any sort of deal with them. Griffonstone had been undergoing a slow but steady rebuilding effort and Changelings were remarkable in such a craft, but the Griffons were harshly underpaying the Changelings for the time and effort being done, such as making overly lavish homes with many accessories that took a week of work but only paying them a day’s worth of wages. Spike had eventually taught the Changelings the value of a standard home at a standard pricing and that anything more than that would require the Griffons to pay more money. The Griffons were of course unhappy, but Spike leveraged that every Griffon would get an equal home, unless they were going to put their bits where their beaks were to pay for the extra added flourishes to one-up their fellow Griffons. Times may have focused on friendship and cooperation, but some species have a drive to compete, and Spike never fought that, he just assisted in ensuring the fight was friendly and harmless in the end.

His thoughts changed as he entered the main hall of the Canterlot throne room and found Princess Twilight was absent. Spike shrugged as she was likely off doing various royal duties and likely making various public appearances, nothing unusual.

He had made a formal check-in with the Canterlot officials and received a scroll listing a schedule of his upcoming meetings and duties and proceeded to sit on his co-throne to look it over:

Official Friendship Ambassador schedule:

3:00pm throne meeting

Spike blinked and flipped the parchment over, then over again, the sparse amount of text on it being almost frustrating to him as this was becoming more commonplace; a day of only one or two meetings in the throne room, then the day to himself. He glanced out the window to see the sun, noting it’s position to be around one thirty in the afternoon, leaving him a while to wait. He sighed and slumped in his throne. The time period was too long to just sit and wait, but it was also too short for him to go and attend a hobby and actually get invested in it. He had no way of knowing how long this meeting would be and who it would be with or even what it was about, but the lack of information on the scroll told him it would be a single person likely over some minor matter.

Thus, with no real option, he let his mind begin to wander. He enjoyed thinking over his past as his memory was rather sharp for the most part, allowing him to relive those very moments, even briefly. He recalled the adventures he went on with Twilight and the other Elements, but he did wonder what he contributed to those events. He was at most a bit part, if not a reason the team nearly failed. He recalled when victory over Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow was nearly obtained, only for Chrysalis to threaten to tear his wings off. He told Twilight to let Chrysalis do it and finish the fight. In his mind, wings were something he’d lived most of his life without, so having them torn off would hurt a great deal, but it wouldn’t be fatal. Still, Twilight buckled, nearly dooming Equestria due to a brief moment of compassion. While they still won the battle in the end, Spike didn’t like how close it came. Still, what other good things did he contribute?

His mind jumped back to when he got the call from the Dragon Lord to compete in the Gauntlet of Fire. He really did not feel comfortable being around other dragons; their harsh lifestyle and grating attitudes being the reverse of his pony lifestyle. Garble was terrible, but Spike couldn’t help but think he felt betrayed by Spike rejecting him. Garble accepting Spike’s bumbling nature and his praising of him got the other dragons to appreciate Spike and treat him fairly and when Spike balked, that seemed to snap something in him. Regardless, he was the favored dragon to win the gauntlet and his intention was a full on war with ponies, and a single adult dragon was a great danger. Even with Twilight and Rarity telling him he could go home and Ember convincing the dragon lord Torch that he could go, he knew he had to win it. He would be stuck in the dragon lands as Lord, but he would ensure his friends and loved ones were safe. That led to him saving Princess Ember’s life, with whom he forged a very important friendship with and handed over the leadership of the dragons to. That is, after the two of them worked together to defeat Garble.

His mind then skipped forward to when word went out of a changeling slinking around the Crystal Empire. Spike clearly remembered how he met Thorax and how he learned how much the changeling’s honest affection and desire for a friend in Spike was worth so much more than the mindless appreciation of the crystal ponies, to the point Spike risked being labeled a enemy of all equestria to stand up for him. A decision wisely made as it was only through Thorax’s abilities that Queen Chrysalis’ next takeover bid was stopped and the changelings were freed from both her rule and their perpetual starvation.

He recalled that both Ember and Thorax loved his company, but when he wondered why he hadn’t seen them for years, he got a harsh reminder.

That fateful day he accidentally invited Thorax over to Ponyville for a talk on the same day Ember was scheduled to visit to learn about ponies. He knew Ember was kind for a dragon, but she was much more abrasive than any pony and he didn’t want Thorax to feel threatened by her, and Ember was critical about weakness and didn’t want her to needlessly rip into Thorax or think ponies were weak because they had made friends with someone so kind and soft spoken. He was certain it’d lead to a war, or so his worst thoughts insisted.

The problem, he only learned later, was that Twilight and Starlight agreed with keeping the two apart all day instead of telling him he was overreacting. As a result, Thorax and Ember nearly attacked each other, thinking the other was intending to harm Spike, only for them to realize they were both fond of the little dragon and defending him, but the blame for keeping the two leaders apart fell on Spike and it broke his heart.

Spike recalled that they did come back, admitted that they were not happy with what Spike thought of them, but forgave him in the end with a group hug…

At least, that is what he initially thought. The truth of the matter was that he never saw Thorax or Ember again outside of legal and business events. Thorax never spoke to Spike again other than to introduce Ocellus to the school of friendship, he didn’t even ask for his help with his brother Pharynx.

Ember basically acted like Spike no longer existed. Smolder was given carte blanche to abuse him every which way and verbally and emotionally harass him, which she did under the guise of being a “friend”.

No, Spike lost both of his fire forged friends in one day because of a mistake he made, and Twilight and Starlight helped him make it but took none of the blame for it.

This memory burned with a painful fury in his heart as at times, he wished he could make Twilight suffer the sensation of permanently losing her forged friends, but Spike realized that such a desire only bred conflict. Besides, it would only be a matter of time before the longevity of the golden apples would enable Twilight to see exactly what it felt like… Days Spike was not looking forward to.

He sighed and shifted in his seat as he shook his head to rattle the negative thoughts out of his brain, his thoughts falling on the other Elements of Harmony. He was friends with them still, sure, but the move back to Canterlot and the great business each pony was wrapped up in made interactions difficult for long distance trips. This resulted in everything being boiled down to a single day each year where all of them would group together and basically recap what had happened over the past year. Spike knew it was important to do so, but it also wasn’t nearly the same as having them nearby as he couldn’t do something like spend a day helping AJ on the farm, lend a hand to Fluttershy at her reserve, assist Rainbow Dash with some new trainees, watch Lil’ Cheese for Pinkie, or Celestia forbid, accompany Rarity to her various boutiques. No, that wouldn’t happen, much less any of the lesser things, such as playing a few games with Discord and Big Mac. Well, feasibly Discord COULD still do those things, but he was much more preoccupied with spending as much time as possible in Fluttershy’s presence and, considering how he was immortal, it made sense that he’d want to make as many memories with her as he could.

Another sigh left Spike as he accepted that Rarity was never going to happen for him. Despite his impressive physique that put all of his dragon peers to shame, he still wasn’t capturing her attention, not that it mattered anymore with the distance between them.

As he thought of the distance between friends, he was wracked with emotional pain as he thought of Gabby, the griffon. Such a sweet girl, and she thought the world of Spike and did anything she could to make him happy, a drastic change from his attempts to get Rarity to notice him. So it hurt the most that the day Spike had to move back to Canterlot with Twilight, it was also the day that Gabby revealed she’d saved up for years to move into a home in Ponyville specifically to be closer to Spike. Spike tried to look strong that day but he wept like a faucet when he revealed he was also moving, but to the much more expensive Canterlot. Even he was only moving there because he was the assistant of the new Princess of Equestria and housing there was over double of Ponyville, and Gabby had spent a few years saving bits to make such a move. Gabby, bless her soul, put on a brave face and wished Spike all the luck she could.

Spike covered his eyes as the memory of her hugging him tightly played back in his head, her talons digging into his scales as she didn’t want to let go of him. But most painful of all was as she pulled back, she kissed him right on the lips. It was firm, but brief, as she let go of him and gave him a bit of a shove to get going, wearing a smile the entire time, but her eyes were extremely glossy. She really did love him. The yearly visits to Ponyville didn’t help much, as despite her being affectionate and always happy to see him, it was still only one day a year, and he could tell that the more passionate love she had was no longer there and any remnants were fading every passing year.

This snapped him back to the present and woke him out of his thoughts, making him look around the throne room and realize… he was alone. Not just in person, but in his heart. He was champion of the changelings, champion of the dragons, champion of the crystal empire (though he knew that was because Twilight fibbed about her contributions), and now Royal Adviser and Official Friendship Ambassador.

But he was completely alone without a real friend in the world.

The weight of that hit him all at once and the empty throne room felt all the more empty as his chest grew cold and ached painfully. He really had just been living life day to day with only his focus on his job and thus, being blind to any personal life he could have had. Perhaps it was intentional from some part of his brain to remain safe and oblivious, but it was imperfect as this very moment now showcased.

Dark thoughts stormed his mind as he bowed his head; what did his accomplishments matter, no one was there to see them. What did his large muscles matter, there was no one to appreciate them. What was the point of his job, no one ever considered that he was the crux of it, placing all praise on Twilight. He closed his eyes and shivered as he began to weep, hot tears running down his cheeks and dripping off onto the floor, gritting his teeth as he wanted to cry a horrible, ugly bout of sobbing, but other than some hushed uneasy breathing and a few strained groans, he didn't make much noise. This was because he did not want to attract…

There was a knock at the royal door. He sucked in a deep breath, held it, and let it out in a slow sigh before swallowing, rubbing his face free of the tears and blinking his eyes. He had to become skillful at hiding his sorrow in the throne room, lest a guard intrude to suddenly spin the rest of the royal staff into a tizzy over what “horrible thing” could have sent him into such a state, which was a much bigger headache than he was willing to deal with at the moment. He cleared his throat before speaking out.

“Come in.” He said firmly.

The doors opened and Captain Gallus walked in. Spike was internally amused that he was able to attain such a high position, but it was due to his resourceful skills and quick wit that gave him such an opening to do so.

“Friendship Ambassador Spike?” he spoke formally.

“Just Spike is fine.” he said, though he knew Gallus would still defer to traditional royal terms once this conversation was over. Gallus nodded.

“It is time for your three o'clock meeting.” Spike blinked and looked at the placement of the sun and realized he’d blanked out for nearly an hour and a half. Still, he shook his head to come back and looked at Gallus as he continued. “They filed their request to see you before you left for your last friendship summit.” Spike blinked at that. They had been waiting since he left for his last duty? He was gone for a solid two weeks, yet they waited that long for him? If it was business, they would have seen Twilight, not him. It was either a very persistent fanboy from the crystal empire or…

"Are they a crystal pony?" he asked. He may have felt alone in his heart, but hollow praise from the crystal empire inhabitants would not make him feel any better right now, thus he would rather politely turn them down. Gallus shook his head before speaking.

"No, she is a changeling." Spike blinked at that. A changeling? He didn't know what to make of it.

"Okay, send them in." he said, unsure of what this meeting could be about. Gallus bowed before he stepped away from the door.

There was a moment or two of silence before a mostly crimson colored changeling walked into the room. She walked in with her head held rather low, as if she was ashamed, as the throne room doors were shut behind her.

Spike didn't recognize her.

"Friendship Ambassador Spike?" she said in a soft voice that sounded a slight bit deeper and mature than he expected. He struggled to not roll his eyes at her usage of his full title and instead simply raised his hand and shook his head.

"Just Spike is fine," he said. "I'm sorry but... do I know you?" he asked. Her eyes widened slightly before they returned to their downcast appearance, gaining an additional layer of gloss as she looked to be holding back tears.

"Well... I mean, you did, but... I guess you've been busy and I'm not very remarkable." she said, kicking at the floor lightly with a front hoof. Spike felt bad for not knowing who she was. "My name is Sinuous." Nope, still didn't ring any bells. He scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I think you'll need to remind me." he said, flushing slightly at how embarrassing this all was. Sinuous didn't seem much better but her crimson coloration hid her blushing better. Still, she swallowed and began her story.

"Years back, I was cast out of Canterlot when Chrysalis attempted her invasion and I landed alone on the outskirts of Ponyville. I felt that how she attempted to use love energy was wrong and so I remained in ponyville, in disguise. I didn't impersonate anypony because I believed that love energy, rightfully earned, would be much more powerful and not prone to backfiring as it was honestly given." she recounted, gently swaying her head side to side and avoiding making eye contact with Spike.

"Go on." he encouraged, gently moving his hand. She nodded in response.

"Since I was not apart of the hive, I didn't know of the planned takeover when Chrysalis returned and was as oblivious as everypony else until word came out of a decisive victory over the changelings and that we had been lied to, that if we gave love, we would find our true form and no longer starve. I admitted I loved ponyville, I loved being a part of the lives of everypony there, and it was true, I changed and was no longer starving... but... not... everypony appreciated me admitting the truth." she was extremely downcast as she recounted this part. "I was mostly shunned, despised for lying and not being honest, even though they all would have turned me in for being a horrible monster if I did. I was an invader in the very town I'd been in for years..."

"Sounds like you'd been there for a long time." Spike said, offhandedly as he noted her use of "everypony" instead of "everyling" or "everycreature".

"I was... and I considered leaving or… something worse... but... then there was one day." her mood brightened. "I am not sure of the details, but it had something to do with Dragon Lady Ember arriving... but Good King Thorax also arrived. I'm not sure what was so special about this day, but without a disguise on... I was met by a little purple dragon." she said, looking him in the eyes for once. "This little dragon approached me without hesitation. He saw my downcast expression and talked to me. He wondered why I was sad, why I was dejected, and so I told him the same story I'm telling you right now." Spike's memory started to get jostled... he met her during the mayhem of when Twilight and Starlight basically sabotaged his friendships so badly, the map called on him to solve a problem? No wonder his memory was foggy.

"I think I'm starting to remember... Please, what did he... what did I tell you?" he asked, looking into her crimson eyes.

"You said that not everypony did hate me, that not everypony could. That there would be a friend for me if I continued living my life happily. I said that couldn't be true as it couldn't fix my heart right now... Then you hugged me." she said, tears budding in her eyes. "You hugged me... then... then I hugged you, and I cried, and you held onto me while I cried, and then, when I stopped and sniffled, you just gave me a happy grin and said goodbye and ran off." she said, a bit of a chuckle slipping through her speech.

"Wait... I think I remember..." he said. It was a mayhem day for sure, but someone hugging him and crying was not easily forgotten, he just didn't remember who it was until this moment. He looked at her, noting the three gem-like structures on her chest, which reminded him of food, hence his dashing to the lunch meeting with Thorax. "I DO remember you!" he said, suddenly standing up. “The changeling standing on ponyville bridge, looking like she was about to throw herself off of it…” He stepped off his throne and walked up to her. She smiled as she reared up and Spike didn't hesitate to give her a hug, which she tried to return, although his considerable bulk made it difficult. "Goodness, how long has it been?" he said as he set her down, the changeling still smiling.

"Close to twenty years since then." she said, her smile turning into an uneasy grin. Spike blinked and couldn't fathom that event happening that long ago. It felt much more recent.

"Wow... uh... guess that's why two weeks waiting was no problem for you..." he said, chuckling. "What took so long to reconnect with me?" he asked. She kicked the floor bashfully.

"Well, I lived in ponyville and it was so much farther to canterlot and much more expensive to live there. When I found you and Princess Twilight moved there after Celestia and Luna retired, I tried to visit, but your long wait periods between tasks meant that I'd have to either rent housing or buy housing on any given visit, and I just didn't have the money..." she scuffed the ground again. "It took all that time for me to save up money and get some very generous donations from ponyville folks to help me move to canterlot, which I only just finished doing." Spike smiled at her.

"I'm sorry it took so long." Spike said, shaking his head. "But you're here now." He said, giving her a comforting smile.

She nodded and smiled in return. "Are you able to make house visits? I mean... Could you visit a commoner's home? Is that something you can do?" She asked, somewhat nervously. Spike just chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, it's no big deal. I don't have the royal hangups Twi does." Sinuous had to giggle for a moment.

"Goodness, "Twi"..." she echoed, finally making him realize she likely never heard her referred to in that manner and chuckled with her.

"You think that's something, you should have heard her nickname when she got hit with poison joke." Sinuous giggled and looked at him with expecting eyes and suddenly, Spike realized just how easy he had fallen into reconnecting with someone he only briefly met years ago. She must have realized the same thing as her ruby eyes met his and soon, his pause gave her time to speak.

"Uh, um... would you like to tell me more during lunch? At my place?" she asked, fidgeting on the spot. A lunch time date sounded pretty appetizing to him, especially as his belly gurgled. That said, he was about to turn her down on the account of being ready for his work, before he looked at his throne, the parchment he left there, and the otherwise empty throne room and frowned before he looked at her.

"You know what, I'd like that a lot. You just lead the way." he said. Sinuous seemed to brighten up as she pranced in place briefly, her wings quickly buzzing before she regained her composure as he opened the doors to the main hall and invited her out past the guards, which she did so at a skipping pace.

The fly and walk to her place was not long, though her home was very modest in its size, which spoke truth of how limited her funds had been to buy it. It seemed similar to Moondancer’s home in that it was a single story building without much of a yard, but it seemed large enough that it could possibly comfortably house two ponies in it. She unlocked the door and invited him in. He only had to slightly duck past the door frame. Inside was a spotless living room, a rather decent couch, and a corner which had multiple shelves, books, and he spied several figurines. Sinuous closed the door behind them and trotted past him and around a corner into her kitchen.

"I hope you like what I make, but it's okay if you don't. I've never cooked for a dragon." she said, just out of sight.

"Don't worry, just having a home made meal served to me is going to make me feel much better." he said.

"Feel free to get comfortable while I do this!" she said and Spike gave a brief "k" in response. The home was very neat, likely a result of her having recently moved in, but it was tidy and no clothing or objects seemed to be out of place. His attention was drawn to the books, most being about various creatures and some basic accounts of the details of the exploits that he and his old friends went on. The figurines, however, suddenly made his eyes widen. It was a collection of Ogres and Oubliettes figurines, and expertly crafted. Was this part of the reason it took her so long to get the funds to move to canterlot, she was buying expensive figurines? He certainly hoped not. He was brought out of his thoughts by a pleasant smell.

"Smells fantastic, whatever it is." he said as he moved himself to the table and seated himself at it, though his torso height was already a fair bit tall, so he neglected a chair and sat on the soft floor carpet.

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells." she said as she came back into the room, levitating two bowls and glasses of water before setting a glass and bowl in front of him. "Opals and lesser gems heated on a sauce mix. I know dragons prefer gemstones of higher quality but... money and all." she said as she set a peculiar bowl of a jelly-like substance in front of herself. Spike just smiled.

"Aww you didn't have to go out of your way like that." he said as he picked up a single gem and popped it into his mouth, the flavor being quite the explosion. It reminded him of the more wild and rustic meals he ate back in ponyville and how he actually missed such meals as nowadays he usually had meals prepped for him of specific quality, however said quality often was for more snooty pallets where something was meant to look good instead of taste good. "Wow... this is fantastic!" he said as he soon set to work eating more. She smiled at him and began eating her own meal.

"I'm glad you think so!" she said between mouthfuls. Spike swallowed down what was in his mouth before he gave her a bit of a concerned look.

“So, those Ogres and Oubliettes figures on your shelf…” he said. Sinuous stopped what she was doing and dropped her levitating fork.

“Omigosh I’m so sorry I left those out, I must look like such an embarrassing nerd…” she said as she covered her face.

“Oh, uh, no, that’s not what I was going to say.” Spike hurried to comment. “I was just thinking that those must have cost a lot.” he said.

“Cost a lot?” she echoed, removing her hooves from her face and peeking at him.

“Yeah, I mean, they are very highly detailed and they are expertly painted.” Spike noted that Sinuous was getting uncomfortable as she wiggled in place, but she suddenly smiled.

“No, they didn’t cost me anything since I carved and painted them myself.” she said, still a bit bashful. Spike’s eyes widened and he looked over at them again.

“You… YOU made these?!” he said, his jaw practically on the floor. “I’ve really not seen figures like this boasting so much detail that don’t cost a fortune.” he said.

“You really think so?” she said. “I was selling some of them to try and make some money, but I never knew how much to sell them for. Artist problem of not valuing your own work, I suppose.” she said, smiling.

“Oh I know so. I’ve been playing O&O for years… well I was but after I moved here I no longer had anyone to play with, but I do still have my pieces.” he said. Sinuous had brightened up.

“Oh we should play some day! I lost all my partners a while ago and would love to have some adventures. We could even make campaigns based off of your real adventures!” she said, getting more and more giddy, which Spike could only join in on. “By the way, just how much of those stories are true and what’s made up? I know the books can’t possibly be completely right.”

“Oh I’ll be happy to show you photos of the real events where we took them and a few we never told anypony.” he said, smiling, eager to spend time with his new friend.

A Special Present

“... and so that was how I got my first real kiss on the lips.” Spike finished, rubbing the back of his neck while Sinuous rubbed the tears from her eye as he recounted his farewell from Gabby.

“That’s… so sad…” she said, her expression forlorn.

It had been a month since the two had reconnected and with their constant interactions, topical discussions were quickly dug through and discussed, soon leading to discussions that were of the more intimate manner. The only requirement was for the speaker to be emotionally ready to share it.

“Yeah, it kinda still haunts me.” Spike continued. It was growing late in the day and the games had been put away as the two sat on Sinuous’ couch and recounted events from their past. “But surely you have to have had a better first kiss than I did.” he finished. Sinuous scrunched her nose and thought for a moment.

“Well I think that is a little harder to explain… because back when Chrysalis had us under her thrall, we had to use every possible trick to steal love. So kissing and… other things had to be expected to sell the illusion.” she said, looking at the ground as it evidently bothered her to some degree, though by this point, Spike knew she would tell him she wasn’t comfortable talking about it and she hadn’t done so yet.

“Well, then how about you tell me if there was a kiss that wasn’t part of a deception. A point where you shared a kiss that was mutual.” Spike suggested. Sinuous mulled that over and rubbed her chin.

“Well, if we count my unicorn disguise in ponyville…” she thought for a moment, then flushed and held in a small laugh. “Sweet Celestia… Okay so, I was being sort of a handymare and would go to whoever needed an extra pair of hooves. Sometimes I would get monetary payment, other times I just got a bit of whatever was being worked on. But on this day, there was to be a large banquet and Sugarcube corner was really overworked, so I agreed to help with the baking and buying of extra ingredients for whatever they needed. We ended up finishing the decorative meals just before the banquet started, and we were all so excited that we did it. I… kinda wasn’t paying attention and in my excitement, I planted a firm one… right on his lips…”

“His… Who?” Spike asked as she was leaving the statement hanging in the air.

“Carrot Cake.” she said. Spike’s eyes widened and before he could say anything she spoke up. “RIGHT in front of his wife Cup Cake. I felt SO embarrassed after doing that, but Mrs. Cake was understanding about the rush of excitement.” she said, though her smile faded. “She was… far less understanding when she learned what I really was and was one of the ones who gave more biting comments about what I did.” she sighed and shook her head and soon Spike’s strong arm wrapped around her back and he pulled her close before she leaned against him.

“Hey, those days are over. Tell me, after I met you and talked to you, did you ever kiss anyone out of your disguise?” he said in a softer tone, but she responded with another sigh.

“No. I never really felt that elation or, well, safe enough with anypony to try doing it again, even though I was turning my life around and was having a much better time than before you found me.” she said. There was a moment of silence before she felt Spike shift and she felt a hand under her chin, making her look up. Spike was flushed, but he looked mournful, apologetic. This made it all the more surprising for her when he leaned in and pressed his lips to her own. Her crimson eyes shot open wider and she remained frozen for a moment before she clamped them shut and pushed back into the kiss.

It was a simple, topical kiss of lips pressed to lips before being abruptly broken as Spike pulled back, an uneasy smirk on his face that wanted to be a full smile but never got there.

“That’s for being a friend to me when I was alone in the world.” he said firmly. “So no matter what happens from here on out, you’ve got that positive memory to think of and share if anyone asks you that question.”

“Spike…” Sinuous started before her welling eyes became too cloudy. She pressed herself to his chest and he hugged her tightly as she wept, Spike slowly stroking her head.

“I just want you to know that, I’ll never leave you. I’ll never stop being your friend. Not if I can help it.” he said in a firm, assuring tone.

Two months had passed since Spike and Sinuous had reconnected and become real friends, and one month had passed since Spike had kissed her briefly and opened her heart a bit more, helping her come to terms with her own difficulty in her heart, and since then, if Spike had any free time, he spent it at Sinuous’ home. While the topics were often between Sinuous and Spike’s own past, it eventually grew into Spike telling her about his old friends, his old exploits, adventures, and old passions he cared for. When he wasn’t sharing his stories with her, they frequently played games and just enjoyed each other’s company.

This led to a day where, after a long O&O session that went late into the night, Sinuous stopped Spike at the door as he went to leave.

“Say Spike, since we keep playing this late anyway, how about we have a sleep over? You can crash on my couch and we can play O&O all night long and not worry about taking too long.” Spike chuckled and looked at the dark sky that was barely beginning to light out before he yawned and stretched.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll check my schedule and we can plan accordingly.” he said, giving her a bright smile, which made her smile in return before he waved his goodbye and flew off in the direction of the castle.

It was less than a week later that a day had been set for the two of them to meet up and then have a full two days uninterrupted at her home, and when the day arrived, Spike made sure he would get there to make the most of it.

Spike left the castle after double checking all of his appointments and scheduling before he flew away into the town. He knew the way to Sinuous’ home as if it was his own and arrived in the early afternoon. He knocked upon her door and there was a click as it unlocked and opened and he walked right in, the door shutting behind him and he heard it latch, but he noticed he didn’t see where Sinuous was and what little lighting there was was fairly dim.

“Have a seat on the couch. I’ll be out in a moment.” she said in an almost singsongy way, still out of view. Spike shrugged and did as she asked, sitting and relaxing into the corner against the armrest. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but he just assumed he caught her in the bathroom. Eventually he heard hoofsteps down the hallway. “Hey, sorry if I came here while you were in the-” he stopped his sentence instantly as he saw that Sinuous was not the one walking down the hallway, but rather a unicorn with a rather beautifully kept mane. Her horn glowed for a moment and suddenly the lighting shifted and he saw her in full.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, dahling.” came the very familiar voice of Rarity as she walked… no… sashayed closer to him.

“R-Rarity?! What are you doing… I mean… How did…” Spike just fumbled over words as she walked closer and he saw that there was more to her than just being Rarity, but she had her lashes done, she was wearing eyeshadow, and wore cherry lipstick.

“You really are such a HANDSOME dragon, dahling. It’s such a shame I never openly said so all those years ago.” she said, though something was off, and it took a moment before Spike figured it out. The makeup was not “perfect”, the lipstick was slightly crooked and Rarity was… too young. He knew Rarity had put some lines on her face and had a rather lovely gray streak in her mane, but this Rarity was pristine as the day he first went to ponyville.

“Sinuous?” he said. “What are you doing?” he asked, knowing it had to be his friend and that she was imitating what she saw in the photos he’d shared with her. Her expression broke for a moment before she returned to the practiced and now rather fake performance.

“Why dahling, I’m your Rarity tonight. There is no Sinuous here.” she said, a flush crossing her face. Spike narrowed his eyes at her in a confused manner. She tried to keep the sultry expression on her face for a bit longer before she began to blush and became embarrassed and then completely broke character. “Oh, I’m sorry! You said you liked-” there was a flash of green flame and instead of Rarity before him, it was Gabby the griffon.

“What-” was all Spike got out before she started talking.

“Hey there, Spikey! I’m so glad you could make it over to my sleep over, but we’re not going to get a lot of sleeping done, if you catch my drift!” she said in an excited tone, but Spike hardly heard her words because she had forgotten that… she was still wearing the crooked lipstick, eyelashes, and eyeshadow, which was extremely obvious on a beak. His scrutinizing eyes made her smile fade and her acting break once more.

“Sinuous… I think you’re forgetting that-” he was cut off again by another flash of green fire and now standing before him was Dragon Lady Ember… with the lashes, eyeshadow, and crooked lipstick.

“Oh right, dragons don’t do foreplay, so spread those legs and let me see if you’re worthy of-” but this time Spike interrupted, standing up and towering over her.

“Sinuous, snap out of it!” he barked at her. Her expression broke instantly and her knees wobbled before there was another green flash, the lighting in the room returned to it’s normal brightness, and the crimson changeling stood before him, her teeth grit as she looked at him and tried not to cry out of sheer embarrassment. She sat on the spot and hung her head.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I…” she started to turn to run down the hallway, but Spike had too many years of experience to let her run off and leave this unresolved, so he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to sit on the couch with him.

“Nu-uh, you’re going to sit here with me and talk.” he said in a strict tone before he put a hand under her chin and made her look him in the eye. “Just like we always do.” he said, a charming smile returning to his face. Sinuous just leaned forward onto him and he hugged her in response as she began to cry. He just let her, slowly stroking the back of her head until her crying abated and her breathing returned to a more or less normal pattern, at which point he gently let go of her and let her sit back. Her eyeshadow was smudge, as was the lipstick and one of the lashes had fallen off.

“I… I just… I wanted tonight to be special. I mean, I know it’s only been two months but… after that kiss a month ago and all the time we’ve spent together… I like you, Spike.” she said, looking somewhat mournfully at him. This time, Spike blushed as he finally registered all the things she had said, the lighting, the makeup, and the overnight excuse. Spike was silent a moment, perhaps a bit longer than he wanted to be, but he finally spoke up.

“So, you wanted to seduce me as one of my old friends?” he asked, just making sure he knew her plan.

“I just wanted to make sure I was irresistible to you.” she said in a strained tone. “I wanted to make sure that if I risked our friendship being broken, I should just use the form of someone you had mentioned you had at least some interest in. I didn’t want to upset you or make it weird… but I did exactly that…” she said as she hung her head and while it was softer, she began crying again. Spike was quiet again before she felt him stand up and walk away and her heart hammered hard in her chest. She knew she was going to hear that front door open and slam shut, then she’d never see him again. She couldn’t look up. She wanted her last memory of him to be that expression of him smiling at her. She couldn’t let it be an expression of rage or just his back. However, the door never slammed. In fact, it never opened and she soon felt the couch deform again as he sat back down and lifted her head up and she dared to look at him, only to find his smiling face again.

“I can’t believe you forgot.” he said. She blinked only for him to bring a moist cloth up to her face and start scrubbing it. “You didn’t need to be Rarity or Gabby or Ember. You didn’t need these fake eyelashes,” he removed the flimsily attached lashes. “Eye shadow,” he coaxed her to shut one eye as he scrubbed it, then the other. “Or this lipstick.” he said as he rubbed her lips clean and set the cloth on the table next to him. “You only ever needed to be you… Since I like you for who you are, not who you can pretend to be.” She slowly began to smile before she chuckled.

“Y-yeah, that really was silly of me.” she said, swallowing and breathing a little more calmly. “I shouldn’t have tried to hide again… I should have just told you that I L… L… Love you.” she strained out. Spike blushed as she spoke those words and swallowed.

“L-love? Are you sure it’s not just a crush? Th-that you won’t feel the same way after a while?” he said, his voice now taking it’s turn to waver.

“I thought about that. But… I… I think I fell in l-l-love with you the second time you came for a visit… My day revolves around you, I make all my plans around you, and it’s not like I ignore you or have you serve me or do chores… We talk, we play games, share hobbies, tell stories… And I wanted to… do more with you.” She said softly.

“M-more… like-”

“Like more kissing… like… getting intimate…” she said softer, getting her face a little closer to his own, but she stopped, not wanting to scare him or push something he didn’t want. “If… if you don’t want to go that far… I’d like you to tell me right now, because I… I really can’t hold these feelings for you anymore…” Sinuous was worried that she dropped too much on him all at once, but had to get this out. Spike looked around nervously before he looked at her again. He looked into her crimson eyes, the faded lighter part being her equivalent of pupils as she looked intently at him and all he could see was… Someone who cared about him for who he is. Not what he did, not his reputation, but the person he is.

“I think…” he swallowed but then gently grasped Sinuous, pulling her into his lap. “That maybe… this is what needs to happen.” he said as he continued looking into her eyes. He could feel her heart thrumming hard as her chest pressed to his and she leaned her face closer, her lips puckering as her eyes lidded and finally, her lips touched his own. Her whole form shuddered and soon, she melted into the feeling as she felt Spike return it, his body likewise softening as he stroked her back. Not as surprising as the first, this kiss felt so natural. Nothing fell apart, no one chided them, it was just the two of them enjoying it as it grew a bit deeper, the two taking moments to pull and suckle at each other’s lips. As he stroked her back, he cupped her rump, and at first she wiggled into his strong hands, but then she froze, breaking the kiss and freezing his hands with her magic.

“W-wait… Spike… Are you sure you… want me as… myself?” she asked. Spike was puzzled. “Because… well, changelings are not like griffons or ponies or dragons. We’re… different and… many books talk about how scary or creepy we are there…” she said. Spike was still puzzled and spoke.

“If you know you could… well… successfully… do it with a dragon like me… then why is it weird?” he asked. She looked down for a moment before she gently used her magic to move the fingers of his right hand to touch her lips. Spike swallowed as he had seen mare and griffon rumps a plenty but this was the first time he’d actually touched someone intimately. He felt her control his fingers, stroking her moist, soft, hot lips, then she slid one of his fingers inside. Oh how amazing that felt; silky soft warmness all around… Then he felt “it” as he felt something “grip” his finger. It didn’t hurt, but even though she stopped controlling him with her magic, he found he couldn’t pull out. “What the…”

“It’s something female changelings have. We can hold our partners in us… stimulate them more… or even hurt them if we don’t want them as a partner. It looks creepy to most ponies… it’s… kinda why I tried to be somepony else.” She looked away again, but he used his free hand to make her look at him again as he kissed her on the lips once more before he pulled back.

“If I’m going to be with you, I want to be with all of you.” he said, though he flushed a moment. “But uh… little warning… I… haven’t actually done this before.” Sinuous gave him a blank look before she blinked, her loins freeing his finger.

“Wait… you really haven’t been with anypony before? Not even one night stands?” she asked and Spike nodded.

“Yeah… if it wasn’t honest love, then I didn’t want to do it.” he said. Sinuous just smiled.

“Well, guess that makes two of us.” she said as Spike looked at her. “I, uh… have a toy or two… but… um… never had a real one, especially not a dragon.” she gave a nervous giggle. Spike smiled a bit and swallowed.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we have all night because… uh, well… I really don’t think I’ll be able to last for my first time. I’m liable to kinda explode right away… or so I’ve read can happen.” he said, rubbing his head bashfully.

“The sleepover idea was actually to kinda work out these kinks… and just have fun. I want to be calm and secure with you… just as I want you to be calm and secure with me.” They smiled at one another before she felt something warm pressing against her rump and she quickly looked over her shoulder to see his firm, textured, slightly purplish shaft jutting up behind her. She grinned and fluttered her wings, doing an expert backflip out of his lap and onto the floor in front of him before walking back up to look at what Spike had to offer. He fidgeted slightly in his seat as she got close to him, prompting her to speak. “May I touch it?”

“Y-yeah, just be gentle. It doesn’t bend much.” he warned. She nodded before her attention was focused on his shaft jutting from a part in his groin scales. It was meaty and had a sort of rippling wave to it with a prominent triangular head. A head that Sinuous recalled reading about, meant to coax a female dragon to let him inside of her. She leaned even closer to it, watching as it bobbed in time with his heartbeat, a drop of fluid present at the tip. She slowly pressed her snout against it and Spike groaned. She coaxed another groan out of him as she ran her lips along the underside, but when she gave the middle underside a gentle kiss, the length gave a much more firm twitch and a single rope of clear fluid shot out of it. She blinked a moment.

“Wow… you really are excited…” she said, smiling and swallowing as she looked at him. “Me too…” Spike was blushing but he smiled and stood up. He could see her legs jitter and she turned her back to him, but her elegant tail was pulled down. “I… I don’t know if you’ll still want to do it if you see me back there…”

“If I’m going to be your lover, I’m going to see it eventually. After all, how bad could it be?” he asked as he knelt down behind her and placed a hand on her rump.

“Don’t ask that question…” she said, almost a little angrily. Spike watched her head hang low before her tail raised up and exposed herself to him. It seemed mostly like a mare with the tight ring of her rump and the fleshy wide lips. He gently placed his thumbs on either side of her lips, trembling as he did so, before he pulled the wet lips apart in a rather erotic squishing sound, strings of her juices reaching from one internal wall to another. He still didn’t see anything weird at first, until she winked her clitoris. As he looked at it, he suddenly saw three pairs of long, finger-like structures all coming from the floor of her vagina just behind her clitoris. They opened and closed in a wave like motion, even bending, and at that point he could see the little claw tips they had. It was unusual, that was for sure.

“And these claws are used for when someone tries to force you into sex?” he asked.

“Or keep them inside me longer… I once held a toy in me for an entire day.” she said with a weak chuckle. She heard him shift and stand up and she quickly looked over her shoulder, wondering if he was going to stop… before he suddenly showed her his hand. She looked at his palm a moment, then at his face.

“You see these hands? These claws?” he asked. She nodded, confused. “Just about every day, my sensitive flesh meets these hands and I’ve never once been hurt by them. So I trust you.” he said. She shivered and hadn’t quite noticed it, but she had squared her hips and set her legs apart.

“Please… I can tell you’re close… I… I want it in me. Even if it’s fast.” she pleaded.

“But, what about-”

“I’ve been taking contraceptives for the past week to prepare.” she said, rather fiercely blushing as she looked over her shoulder at him. “So please…” she asked, her expression literally begging him.

“Okay… I hope I don’t hurt you so… tell me if you need me to stop.” he said as he gently grasped her hips in both hands. She shuddered under him and at first he thought she was scared, and maybe she was, but the floor was greeted by spilling drops of her juices from her lips. He swallowed hard, looking down as he angled his hips and gently touched the head to her lips, the heat from the contact making him spurt another jet on her, which in turn made her wink at him. He pressed a bit more firmly and watched and felt as the head slipped between her folds and… he didn’t even notice the claws as he was bathed in a very hot, very soft embrace. He slowly pushed more into her but felt some sticky resistance and pulled back, seeing his length glossy with her juices, before he tried to push back into her, getting deeper before he pulled back and did it again. Sinuous was breathing in deep, slow breaths that were getting more and more uneasy. Spike’s instincts overtook him and made him push harder than normal to get the last bit of his shaft in her, his muscular hips pressing to her rump, every inch of himself inside of her. He somewhat doubled over her back, hugging her body, which he soon found was vibrating.

“Unnnng!” Sinuous let out a decidedly un-lady-like groan before Spike suddenly felt a firm tightening around the base of his sensitive shaft, but also her insides in general were much more tense. “SPIIIIIIIKE!” she let out in a shrill tone as she grit her teeth in a very strained yet pleased expression as she vibrated harshly under him, her insides suddenly clamping on him in full before pulsing in a firm, rhythmic throbbing while a fresh, hot wet wave soaked across his sensitive shaft before leaking out against his groin as she came very hard. Spike tried to ride out the incredibly erotic show she had put on while she also did near pure magic on his shaft. He was glad she gave him the okay earlier to climax inside of her as a slight tug revealed she had a hold of him and would not let go, but the motion provided just a bit of needed friction on his shaft before he held her tighter, making short little thrusts in the expanse she permitted inside of herself.

“S-Sinuous, I’m… it’s cominNG!'' His words turned into a firm grunt as he shuddered behind her, his loins kicking and pulsing as a great heat coiled in his gut before washed through him and shot out through his shaft into her in pulse after pulse. He felt more of those incredible contractions around him, complimenting his climax. The sensation of her warm, wet, comforting grasp seemed to make his climax work ever harder, every twitch and movement making him throb and pulse again, as if his body was fearful it couldn’t spill every single drop into his partner.

They both remained there, shivering as their climaxes slowly abated. Sinuous looked back at him over her shoulder and he met her eyes as they breathed hard, but soon kissed as they remained joined together.

Sinuous slightly began to weep, as did Spike as the two vented emotions they had denied expressing for so many years. Sinuous spoke first.

“Wow… that felt so good… how about we take this into my bedroom. It will be much easier to snuggle on a bed.” she offered. Spike smiled.

“Just let me go and lead the way.” Sinuous smirked and took a step forward and Spike soon found she was still not letting go of him, although intentionally this time as her movement threw him off balance.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re staying in there.” she said as she playfully stuck out her tongue at him. “I said all night and I meant it!” Spike gave a chuckle and began walking with her as she tugged him along by his shaft.

“Yes Ma'am.” he said as they hobbled into the bedroom to continue the first of many more nights they would share together, laughing with each other on the way.

Author's Note

I'm planning for one last chapter of this pairing. I hope you all enjoy it.

Careful Steps Forward

Spike’s sleep cracked when he felt the warm rays of the sun spilling on him through an improperly covered window. He was comfortable and really didn’t feel like moving, feeling a warm and cozy feeling inside and outside, but sleep was not going to return. He shifted slightly, only to note that there was an object in front of himself, his eyes cracking open. His vision was quite blurry but it took only a moment for his eyes to focus and show the crimson changeling laying with him, her body spooned into his as his arm was draped over her belly.

Last night all came rushing back and he realized that it all actually happened; this lovely changeling friend of his wanted him as more than a friend and he couldn’t help but agree with her decision. Still, a glimmer of doubt flickered in his head; he did only know her properly for a little over two months yet they had become intimate. Was this just a venting the two needed after years of essentially abstaining? Perhaps things would get weird now and uncomfortable between them. His thoughts paused when she let out a soft snort, followed by a calm breath out and a soft humm. As she continued to sleep, a much more basic discomfort heckled Spike, as it often did to anyone who first woke up in the morning. He gently untangled himself from Sinuous and went to roll over, only to completely fall off the bed onto his back with a dull thud. After sitting up and seeing that she was still asleep, he realized that her bed really was only made for one pony and having company made it a snug encounter. He was partly surprised that he didn’t fall out of the bed sooner. Still, his call from nature was persistent and he needed to address it, climbing to his feet and quietly leaving the room to find her modest little bathroom.

As he relieved himself, he noted that his loins were quite sticky and that it was somewhat uncomfortable. It was similar to when he’d masturbated and not cleaned himself off properly, only a lot worse, as an errant thought went through his head at how Sinuous’ fluids were slick when fresh, but they probably did the same as his when they dried out and got super sticky. He let out a sigh as he finished his morning pee, flushing her toilet before he looked at her towel rack, noting some smaller rags meant for simple drying and cleaning jobs and took one, wetting it down and getting it a little soapy before he scrubbed it along his belly and still exposed shaft, working the sticky parts off. As he did so, he considered bringing the rag in and helping Sinuous scrub off her own loins, though the idea was more than a little appealing, as his loins reacted to the warm rag mopping himself down. He rolled his eyes, wringing most of the soap out of it and running it under warm water again before ensuring he got the soap off of himself with one more wipe down, then decided to go and see Sinuous.

Upon stepping back in the room, he looked at her laying there on her bed on top of the covers, a faint smile on her face as the sunlight peeking through made the shell of her belly and back glisten. While it made her look even more pretty to him, it also made the discolored marks around her haunches and thighs more obvious as he stepped up to the bed. He clambered up before gently grasping her rear leg at the ankle as he brought the rag up to her rump. Her tail was relaxed and sagged away, letting him see her loins properly, which helped as he started directly under her tail, rubbing and pressing firmly but not harshly, slowly bringing it over her vaginal lips and along her outer loins and the backs of her thighs before he gently lifted her leg, rubbing between them. He noted as he did so that she had no teats where a mare would, which eventually clicked in his head as he remembered that Thorax had mentioned that he hatched from an egg, so nursing wasn’t something she would have to do. He was brought out of his thoughts as Sinuous suddenly let out a very lovely groan. Spike noted that her eyes were still closed, but her tail was now pulled up, flagging as her vaginal lips parted and her clitoris winked out at him. He was nearly done cleaning her, but as she continued to wink, she dribbled more juices along herself, making him focus his rubbing on her lips clean and even hold the rag there against her a moment as he pondered what to do about her renewing the mess he was cleaning up. He figured he should just wake her up, but he wanted to let her sleep in. His decision was made for him as he suddenly felt her pull her leg out of his grasp as she rolled onto her back, her rear legs spread and her front legs cutely tucked up against her chest. A glance at her face showed her eyes half open and a dreamy smile on her face.

“Mmm, that’s a lovely way to wake up.” she said as he pulled the rag away from her.

“Just trying to give you a bit of comfort since we were all sticky from last night.” he said simply, shrugging and smiling. Sinuous nodded slowly.

“A little disappointing. I almost thought you found me attractive and were giving me some morning love.” she said, putting a playful pout on her face.

“I did find you attractive!” Spike tried to claim before he shook his head. “I mean I DO find you attractive.” he said, eventually putting his hand over his face at his verbal flub. He was met with her giggling slightly as she continued to look at him.

“Well, then you could prove it. I mean, it felt sooooo gooood with you rubbing me that I’m pretty ready to go again.” she said before a flush finally tainted her face. “I mean, if you want to.” her attitude took a sudden nosedive and her smile faded. “Of course, if last night was just a one time thing, I’m okay with that…” Spike blinked quickly at her sudden shift in attitude from cheerful and seductive to suddenly sad and pessimistic. Spike may have only known her for two months, but he was quick at reading certain tells about someone’s personality, and his experiences in the world sharpened his awareness of such self depreciation. Changelings were especially prone to these moments of doubt and Spike’s temper flared. The rag was lost and the bed rocked violently as Spike slammed his hands down on it on either side of her head, his body looming over her own as he glared down into her currently stunned eyes.

“You stop that right now.” His voice came out in a hiss as he did his best to hold his emotions in check, but he couldn’t help as a sharp toothed snarl crossed his face as he spoke. “I’ve been all over the world and I’ve seen many things, good and bad. My decision to lose my innocence to you… WITH you, was not an accidental spur of the moment.” His aggressive tone slowly faded. “I know it can be hard learning and accepting that you’re worth something after so many years of Chrysalis beating you down and making you believe that you were nothing.” His face softened and he started to grow mournful. “Stop and think… I’ve met so many ponies, so many species, and none of them won my innocence. I’d been friends with the Elements of Harmony and pined after Rarity, but none of them won it. Gabby the griffon didn’t win it. Neither did Dragon Lady Ember. I even considered Thorax at one point, the changeling king,” Sinuous’ eyes, which had been wide and shocked were now wide and evidently envisioning him with said changeling king for a moment. “But it wasn’t any of them… it was you.” Spike said as he lowered his nose to her own, gently touching them together. “I told you...I’ll never leave you.” he closed as he sealed his argument with a tender kiss to her lips.

Sinuous shuddered before she clenched her eyes shut and pressed back into the kiss, her forehooves gripping Spike’s arms as best as they could. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt the intense relief Spike was bringing to her, sharing his concern for her and reminding her that his love, as powerful as it was, was all for her. He enhanced this sensation by sliding his arms under her to hug her, holding her snugly as he continued to kiss her, tugging her lips with his own before he slowly broke it by pulling his head back and looking into her crimson eyes.

“Thank you.” She said softly. “Yes, it is easy to think about how nopony could trust me or my ilk after all the hard times I’ve been through…” she swallowed as she looked into his sharp green eyes. “That day you came and spoke to me, I was on Ponyville bridge. I wasn’t just looking at my reflection in the water LOOKING like I was going to jump though…” she said, lingering a moment as Spike’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I actually had considered jumping off of it.” Spike initially was shocked, but then re focused his eyes.

“But Ponyville bridge isn’t very tall. You’d be hard pressed to get hurt by falling off of it, especially with the water to cushion your fall.” he stated.

“I can’t swim.” she stated rather flatly, making Spike’s worried expression return. “If I had jumped, it would have made my wings wet and grounded me and since I can’t swim, I wouldn’t have been able to keep afloat or reach the shoreline.” Spike’s expression didn’t ease up at her confession, and soon she caught on as to why. “What I’m saying, Spike, is that you have already saved my life in more ways than one… Not just giving me a second chance outlook on it, but proving to me that there is always something better to work towards.” She finally broke the eye lock with him and looked down. “I should have kept that in mind, along with everything else you’ve shown me.” She was hushed by his face nuzzling into her neck, coaxing her to look at him again as he smiled once more.

“And I’ll be sure to remind you. Every day, whenever I can.” he said, reassuringly. Sinuous leaned up and placed a suckling kiss on his neck before she leaned back and smiled with a flushed expression.

“Then I will have to do the same for you. You shouldn’t be the only one giving in this relationship.” She wiggled under him and Spike found that his still exposed shaft was nestled between her legs, her action giving an enjoyable sensation. “You’re still technically over for the sleep over. Would you like to… go again before you go back to the castle?” Spike blinked and pondered it for a moment as he did have a rather sharp emotional moment just a minute ago. Would going right into sexual intimacy really be something he’d like to do? Sinuous smirked as she watched his face swap between expressions briefly before her horn glowed and Spike’s eyes went wide as she gripped his shaft with her magic and slowly dragged the head up and down her lips, letting her winking clitoris bump the head of his shaft before sliding it back down to nudge at her opening. “Because I want to. I want you.” That statement seemed to be the key as Spike settled on a soft smile, his hands behind her back squeezing her as he kissed her nose. She could feel his shaft pulsing as it went from moderately hard to fully hard at her attention to it.

“And I want you.” he said. At his word, he felt her rear legs squeeze on his hips to encourage him closer, and with a slow, smooth movement, and a rather wonderful moist sound, he obliged and sank neatly into her welcoming grasp. She vibrated under him for a moment as her eyes clenched shut, and it was only at this point that he realized that when they did it last night, he didn’t see much of her face as she faced away from him. He watched her intensely as he remained in her, her insides giving slow rhythmic squeezes to him as her eyes slowly opened, a light flush on her already crimson face as she gave a soft smile with half lidded eyes. She didn’t need to say anything as Spike soon drew back his hips, then smoothly pressed back into her, meeting her own hips again before continuing to repeat the simple motion. A delectable sensation ran through both of them, both from the raw carnal sensation, but seeing the other happy and vulnerable.

Spike could see her face, flushed and smiling but also scared and small in his grasp. She was so vulnerable, yet she opened up to him and let him have her in the most intimate way.

Sinuous could see how Spike’s face was wearing a strained expression, even his burly features blushing as despite his physique, his emotions were tender and pure, and here he was sharing them with her in a way he never did with anyone else.

Spike didn’t move too quickly or too slowly, maintaining a comfortable pace as he held her close. Neither Spike nor Sinuous were sure why, perhaps species differences, but Sinuous seemed to have a rather short fuse in comparison to Spike. He wasn’t doing anything too unique, keeping his pace and holding her close, but it seemed that every twenty seconds or so, she would tense up and shudder under him, her insides squeezing down on him and her inner claws keeping him inside of her, stopping his movements as she flowed more slick warmth over him. She would then moan softly and release him, letting him continue, only to do it once more.

Spike, for his part, was very pleased he could pleasure her so fully. Her soft sounds of pleasure as she clung to him and welcomed him to continue were equal parts erotic and heartwarming. Without the tension of the previous night, his own fuse was at a more normal threshold and on top of it, her routine of making him stop would push his own climax back a little ways.

But it did not stop his climax completely. Neither were sure how long they were embraced, only that their loins were sopping once more, Spike gliding through her grasp. His expression had gone from a soft smile to a more strained blush and his breathing was more intense. Sinuous was awash in her pleasure, but could still see how he was tensing up and was approaching his own burst of pleasure. She watched him with pleasure filled yet eager eyes as he huffed a bit louder, then suddenly leaned forward and kissed her fully on the lips. She didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, but she moaned loudly into it as he suddenly gave several short, quick thrusts and held himself in her. Her insides squeezed him and her claws locked around the base as she felt him pulse and throb inside of her, soon giving her hot insides a splashing of rope after rope of his own warmth, making her shudder and press harder into the kiss. Spike groaned into the same kiss, their sounds of pleasure muffled by the other’s mouth as hard huffs of breath were taken through their nostrils.

They remained in the kiss until the high finally faded and they pulled back, only for Spike to pull her close under his neck, resting his chin on her head, keeping her close to his heart as they rested on her bed.

The messy sheets could wait to be washed.

In the ensuing months between them, many valleys and hills of their relationship became evident. Some broke out into fights between them, sometimes resulting in a blaming match of pointing fingers/hooves. Sometimes the situation was Sinuous’ fault as she mis-judged a situation or otherwise ruined something Spike had been doing for her, though other times it was Spike’s fault for presuming Sinuous was aware of what he was planning, causing an event to be ruined. However, in the end they couldn’t remain upset and would seek each other out, knowing that they could work through their minor headbutting as their friendship was much more important to each other. In fact it was important enough that Spike began to push more minor ambassador duties aside and use the time to spend with Sinuous. Not every pony needed to see him if they were disputing what side salad was best for an outdoor party, after all.

More time together naturally led to more intimate time together, and while it never led to the romantic and personal aspect diminishing, it did make trepidation and suggestion of it much more casual and less of an impossible thing to ask. Sometimes turning into a bit of a routine, but it was never a dreaded or boring moment, but rather, an exciting capstone between them.

Six months later

Spike had taken Sinuous out on a date night, first to a lovely dinner, then to a lovely place inside the Canterlot Gardens, secluded from the public eye but full of natural and well kept beauty. The two had set out a comfortable blanket and would lay together upon it, looking at the night sky, observing the stars and the occasional cloud sent wisping across it as they pointed out shapes made by the stars, clouds, or both in tandem.

“If you look just right, those stars and that cloud look like an ice cream cone.” Sinuous pointed out.

“Wow it does. And see that over there? It looks like PeeWee.” Spike pointed. Sinuous squinted her eyes and twisted her head back and forth before finally speaking.

“I don’t see it…” she trailed off before she thought more. “PeeWee was the Phoenix you saved, right?” she asked off the cuff. Spike didn’t reply right away and instead sat up, facing away from Sinuous.

“Yeah…” was all he said, his tone very downcast. Sinuous saw this and got up. Spike’s slumped position was rocked by her rather brashly brushing up along his side and making him drape his arm behind her back and hold her close. This action made him look at her and slightly lift his mood before speaking again. “The little Phoenix who I tried to keep as a pet.”

“Why didn’t you?” Sinuous asked and Spike wouldn’t talk or look at her. “Oh come on, I’ve asked you time and time again and you won’t tell me. Is it because of the ice cream?” He glanced at her. “You showed me the pictures. It looked like he was going to be a great pet, then after the pictures with the ice cream, the last picture is him back in the nest with his parents. Surely that wasn’t all there was to it.” Spike knew she wasn’t going to let it go this time, but he was okay with it. Her word that she wanted to know his pains and trials and help him through them was exactly what he needed and what he trusted.

“When I was eating ice cream that day, I offered some to PeeWee since he seemed interested. He ate it and seemed to like it, but then started to… cough or gag or something. I ran all over trying to catch him to find out what was wrong, resulting in me sending my bowl of ice cream flying and landing on Twilight’s head.” Sinuous held in a snorting laugh at the memory of the picture before Spike continued. “PeeWee seemed fine after that but Twilight put her hoof down and basically determined that I wasn’t mature enough for the responsibility of a pet. So, I took him back to the nest where his parents still lived and they welcomed PeeWee back. I didn’t see him again until almost five years later, by which point he was fully grown and had his own nest. He still remembered me but he now saw the forest as his home, not any place I lived.” He said, looking over at her. “So yeah, ice cream and Twilight’s final say so really was all there was to it.”

“That’s… horrible.” Sinuous said softly. “Robbing you of such a bonding over such a… petty reason.” She was quiet for a moment. “How did she become the Princess of Friendship?” she asked in a sour tone that indicated her question was rhetorical. Spike squeezed her close.

“Come on, I’ve told you over and over of all the good she’s done for Equestria.” Spike said.

“But she didn’t need to step on you to do it…” she said as she leaned her head against Spike’s side and grew mournful. “I’m sorry, I know she’s like a sister to you and has done more good than bad, but I can’t help it. I want to protect you, I want to defend you from injustices, like the loss of Thorax and Ember.” she said with a small trilling whimper. Spike sighed and leaned back against her.

“I think that’s part of why I love you so much.” Spike said smoothly.

“You’re just saying that.” She replied somewhat flatly.

“No, I mean it. If it wasn’t for you caring for me in these little ways, I never would have met you.” he said softly. “Caring for how I feel, caring for what I think, always asking me for my opinion on anything and everything… It feels so good.” Sinuous chuckled.

“I can think of something else that feels good.” Her voice having taken on a much more amorous tone. Spike chuckled in return.

“Not in the garden. I’m not up for trying to hide it again since we almost got caught last time.” She nuzzled his side a bit more intensely.

“Well either we do it here, or you explain why you never want to try having sex while I’m transformed.” she said, a devious smirk on her face.

“Okay we’re doing it here.” Spike said at almost a lightning pace but Sinuous stopped his hands from moving with her magic.

“Too late, changed my mind, you’re explaining.” she said in a slightly haughty tone. Spike just rolled his eyes before she spoke in a much more docile tone. “Seriously, I’d really like to know why.”

“I already told you. It’s because I just want you as you are. I’m not using you to indulge in… fantasies or fetishes.” he said in a practiced statement.

“Look, I know you are being a kind and noble knight to me, and trying to point out how it’s me you love and I’m the only one you want and such and such. But I’ve also been around you long enough to know you have passing moments where you want to know what it would have been like to have a dragon partner or even a griffon partner. I can read it in your eyes and in those moments when you pretend you’re reading but are actually daydreaming.” Spike blinked at that last part, which Sinuous caught. “I watch your eyes drift off the pages and I watch your lips mumble statements you’re thinking of saying if you had the chance.” Spike took a deep breath before letting out a defeated sigh, a few wisps of smoke slipping from his lips. Sinuous then finally freed his hands.

“All right. The truth is… as nice as it would be to play pretend and maybe have a night with you pretending to be Rarity or Ember or Gabby, I don’t want to let out my emotional baggage towards them onto you. I don’t want to chew out you for my ire towards Rarity being wishy washy for so many years, get nasty with Ember for thinking I can’t be assertive enough to call her out on her attitude, or cry my admittance of forlorn love to Gabby, and then at the end of the night, have you pop back with all of my words never reaching the actual intended target.” he said, somewhat deflated. Sinuous slipped out from under his arm and moved behind him before there was a small sound that he recognized as a changeling shifting their form, but her normal voice greeted him.

“So it’s not that other species or bodies bother you, just that you really don’t want to see old and familiar faces.” She said and Spike nodded.

“I supposed that is basically it. If it was just you in a different shape and not copying anyone else, I don’t think it’d be an issue.” he said, rubbing his chin before he looked on his other side and slightly jumped. Sitting next to him was a unicorn with dark blue fur, a purple mane and tail, and deep crimson eyes. Before Spike could say anything, she spoke. “This is the disguise I used when I lived in Ponyville. It doesn’t copy any living pony I’ve ever seen, and I even went by my real name. For you, I can do so much more.” she said, though Spike grew a little worried.

“But… it’s not the real you. I mean, it’s you obviously and not anyone else but.. Is it even something you’d actually be okay with?” Spike said, showing his powerful concern for her wellbeing, and the unicorn just smiled at him.

“Spike, how frequently do couples dress up for unique play during sex?” she asked flatly and Spike just blinked. “Anything from stockings to skin tight outfits that they rip holes in, to full on costumes. To me,” she held up a hoof, showing the shaggy fetlocks. “This is just me wearing a fancy outfit, hoping to spice up the night.” She took a few steps back and with a little glimmer of changeling magic, her horn vanished and a pair of feathered wings blossomed out of her sides. “This seem more like your speed? Or maybe,” another flash and she boasted a horn and wings. “Tis I, Sinuous, Princess of Spike’s Bedroom!” she said in a fancy tone, which finally made Spike snort and try to hold in a laugh at how absurd that statement sounded to him after so many years of stuffy political talks. She smiled at how she broke the stuffy mood and with another flash, she was suddenly tall and filled out, her mane and tail flowing like Celestia or Twilight. “If you want a real fancy night, you only need to ask.” she said with a wink. Spike was watching with a more subdued smile on his face as another wave of magic washed over her and suddenly, a griffon was in her place, the coloration unique, bolstering many crimson feathers on her avian half. “Or perhaps you would fancy something really fluffy to lose your face in. Something to keep you warm on a cold night?” she said, wearing a smirk. Spike’s smile faded completely when she changed again, this time taking the form of a crimson dragon. She didn’t look familiar, and he wasn’t surprised she turned into a dragon, but rather that she was on her hands and knees and was slowly crawling towards him. “Of course, nothing is hotter than dragon fire for a cold night. Who knows, maybe you can be just as rough as you’d like with me.” she said as she walked two fingers up his leg then ran her claws back down it, the sensation being very real to him as it reminded him of the claws of the other real dragons he’d interacted with before.

“Are… are you really tough like a dragon?” he asked as he took her hand into his own. She blinked her eyes at his sudden shift of interest in her transformation but began explaining happily.

“Yes. Changelings don’t just change how we look when we transform, we become that which we turn into. Right now I’m as strong and durable as a dragon. If I were to turn into a fish, I could breathe in the water.” she said. “Same rules go for whatever else I turn into.” she said before she decided to end the charade and dropped her disguise, returning to her normal crimson changeling self. Spike looked at her for a moment, then looked down as he was clearly thinking about something.

“Well… I think… Maybe we could try it one of these nights. I don’t want it to be an outright surprise and I want to make sure you’re comfortable in whatever form you take.” he said, giving her an unsure smile, which was returned by her honest smile.

“Of course, hon. I’ll only change in front of you. You don’t need to worry about coming to my home and finding a bugbear or something on my bed… So if you do, you know it’s not me.” she said, turning from amused to slightly worried with her last statement.

“Well, if I found a bugbear in your home, I may have to wrestle it into submission, especially if it tried to hurt my sweet lovebug.” he said, leaning over to her and holding her chin up with a finger. She puckered her lips and he quickly met her in a soft kiss that turned more intense as they pulled closer, Spike scooping her up in his arms as her forehooves rested on his shoulders. He slowly tumbled onto his back with her on his chest, holding her tight as they continued to enjoy their time with each other under the stars.

Author's Note

Woo, chapter 3 done.

I intend for chapter 4 to be the final part of this particular story, but at the same time it will be a bit before I write it out since I want some art of Sinuous in her Griffon and Dragon forms, which will play a part in the next chapter.

I thank you for showing interest in my work and reading this far!

Spike's Resolve

Author's Note

This is something of a chapter 3.5 and not a full chapter 4. Life has been crazy and I've been backlogged in many things, but I want to keep readers of this story engaged with a promise that it'll be completed.

Spike's Resolve

Spike woke early, as he was used to, and prepared for another day of stuffy delegates and irritating issues that generally didn’t need such official figures to take care of, yet ponies still went to him and Twilight for it. He took a brief royal shower and ensured his spines were in the right place and centered his official badge before he left his quarters and passed two royal guards who saluted him. With a brief nod, they were at ease and he continued on his way to the throne room, though even on the brief walk there, his mind was preoccupied. It had been a week since Spike agreed to let Sinuous prepare for a unique spin on their intimate nights. Said spin involved her carefully crafting a griffon or dragon form that didn’t resemble any known griffon or dragon, so as to avoid any potential headaches that could occur from encountering said other dragon or griffon. Still, he did love that changeling and wouldn’t trade her for anything.

His daydreaming obscured him from his routine of grabbing his scroll of daily appointments as he went through the main hall and to his co-throne, where upon he opened the scroll and saw the two minor events he was slated to deal with later on, before he tucked the scroll aside since the first appointment wasn’t for a few hours. He gently rested his head on his hand and returned to thinking about Sinuous, which he found often made the days melt away. He thought about how she sought him out not just for her comfort, but for his own. She wanted him to be happy, to admit his fears and weakness and then comfort him. He honestly enjoyed every aspect of her, even if they would occasionally get into an argument, but they could always overcome them. Still, the anticipation of her new forms was making him nervous somewhere in his mind.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he completely missed Princess Twilight’s dealings with dignitaries going on right next to him and didn’t reply to several questions he was asked. It wasn’t until the dignitaries had left and Twilight bumped his shoulder with a hoof that he broke from his trance and looked at her.

“Hmm? What is it, Twilight?” he asked, simply.

“You blew off several questions we asked you and you didn’t seem to even notice what was going on. Is everything alright with you?” Twilight asked, initially starting slightly annoyed, though her tone shifted to honest concern. Spike blinked before he sat up straight.

“Never better. Just thinking about how I’ll spend my time off.” he said in a somewhat cheerful tone. Twilight gave a short huffing chuckle.

“Ah, with that changeling again?” she said in a somewhat offhand manner, but to her surprise Spike instantly glowered at her.

“Her name is Sinuous, and I’d thank you to remember that.” he said with a sudden snappiness that Twilight didn’t take very kindly to as her own expression hardened.

“You don’t need to snap at me about it. It’s not like I know the name of every creature that’s ever been in Canterlot.” she said, but Spike had apparently rolled off the wrong side of the bed and chose violence today.

“Is that all she is, just a creature to you?” he said. Twilight opened her mouth but Spike cut her off. “Yeah yeah, not what you meant. I know this song and dance, you’ve done it to me my whole life, but you forget that I’ve been with you for most of your life, not that you acknowledged it.” He fully faced her and his chiseled face continued its red hot stare. “You always thought of me as a pet and nothing more. You always took me for granted, expecting me to always be there as if I was a dog or a tool to be used. I thought this was how siblings worked for years. I only realized you didn’t think that way about me until after Tirek destroyed Golden Oaks Library and until I cried over our home being destroyed did you even THINK about how I was just as displaced as you. I didn’t have six friends working feverishly to make me feel at home in my new crystal castle.”

Twilight was somewhat shocked at Spike’s outburst, but as soon as her lips moved to even suggest she was going to make a sound, he cut her off again.

“You always saw me as a pet. In fact, it’s so ingrained into you that I think you subconsciously made the mirror gate’s magic format me into a matching body.” He said, standing up off his throne and starting to walk in front of her.

“Okay you stop right there.” Twilight said before she slammed her hoof onto the floor firmly, the sound echoing through the throne room as she attempted to impose her royal authority over him, but Spike’s eye didn’t so much as twitch. “I’ve not had any malicious or condescending thoughts towards you, so how could I manipulate anything like the mirror portal in that manner?” Spike’s gaze remained steeled and he spoke firmly.

“When a unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, or even an alicorn pass through the portal, they become one of those human things, correct?” he asked, rhetorically, but he waited for Twilight to reply.

“Yes, the magic simply-” Spike raised his hand and cut her off.

“When a Diamond Dog is sent through, what do they become?” Twilight blinked but answered.

“A human.” Spike quickly asked another question.

“When a Siren is sent through, what do they become?”

“They become a human.” Spike’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“And what do I become when I pass through the portal?” Twilight was about to reply, but the words caught in her throat as a spark lit up in her eye. Spike caught it as Twilight now didn’t want to speak. “Say it, Twilight.” he said, but her expression faltered as a degree of sorrow invaded her formerly stable frame of mind. “SAY IT!” Spike bellowed with enough force to make Twilight wince.

“A dog…” she said, barely above a whisper, but she said it.

“A dog.” Spike echoed. “A simple dog. A pet.” he said softly. “Face it, Twilight. You didn’t even think of me as more than a pet until I outwitted you, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, AJ, RD, Shining Armor, and even Celestia herself to win the Hard-Won helm of the Sibling Supreme. You know why I went to such great lengths to get it, I know you remember that day.” he said, keeping his tone low and soft. Twilight had lowered her head and didn’t say anything, though Spike was able to hear the soft wet sounds of her tears hitting the floor and her breathing getting ragged as she controlled her sobs. Spike didn’t like this, he didn’t like that he was hurting her, hurting his sister. But… “That Changeling is named Sinuous. She lives alone, she has no family, and she spent over twenty years looking for me. I’ve spent every moment I can with her for over six months and I cannot say how much she means to me.” Spike reached over to Twilight and lifted her chin, making her meet his eyes with her own cloudy orbs. “Twilight… Someday… I may marry her, and then she will be a part of our family. If you really see me as a part of your family, as a brother to you, then you need to realize that she may very well become your sister-in-law.” Spike was blushing furiously as he mentioned the concept of marriage. It was so far away, but he had to iron out the possible troubles Twilight could make happen. Twilight’s somber expression shifted to surprise.

“Marry her?” she echoed. “But why-” Spike’s quickly hardening expression cut her off.

“I fought through the Gauntlet of Fire to make friends with Ember. I risked being labeled a fugitive when I defended Thorax. I fought with every fiber of my being to befriend the two of them, and in one day of weakness and confusion on my part, you sabotaged my friendship with them when they happened to come by for a visit on the same day.” he said, starting to talk through clenched teeth. “You were jealous that the success I had in making those two friends trumped any interspecies relations you ever established and you couldn’t let it go, so when I actually needed help, you sabotaged me so that both of them would hate me by the end of the day.” Twilight’s shocked expression now took on a more aggressive shift.

“Now THAT is an outright lie! How could you say such a thing when I spent the day doing what you wanted?!” she barked, but Spike snapped right back.

“Because YOU knew better than to feed and support my fear, but you did just that! After all, I’m just the little dog who needs to be appeased now and then!” he snarled.

“I THOUGHT you would catch on yourself and make things right!”

“And I was listening to the princess of friendship for advice on what I needed to do with the situation, but all you did was feed my paranoia until it exploded, sabotaging everything and ruining any chance at a meaningful friendship with Thorax or Ember!” he said, snorting smoke out of his nose before his tone lowered. “But why should I be surprised when you’ve sabotaged and manipulated your fellow ponies? After all, I’m just the dog.” Twilight was confused for a moment before Spike continued. “You tried to sabotage Starlight’s earnest attempts at making a friend with Trixie, a friendship that happened naturally and wasn’t the result of a forced pairing set up by you. In the end you stoked a fire in Trixie to push back and make it a competition between you and her. A petty schoolyard rivalry trumped the years of lessons for the princess of friendship.” he said, his vicious words silencing Twilight again before he continued in a much softer tone. “I’m considering marriage more than ever, because I am putting my entire being into this relationship. I’m going to be faithful, understanding, and loving, and I’ll not let anything come between us.”

There was finally silence between them, other than the sound of tears hitting the floor, not just from Twilight, but from Spike, despite his steeled expression.

“Spike… Why didn’t you ever bring this up? Why didn’t you bring these fears and injustices up so they could be addressed back then?” Twilight pleaded.

“Sometimes I did and you blew it off as unimportant.” Spike said flatly, making Twilight gawk in surprise and prepare to retort before she realized that she had no excuse.

“I’m so sorry…” she said, taking a shaky breath.

“I know you are. I also know that there is no way to change the past. We have to simply take the events that have happened and learn from them.” he said before he took a deep shaky sigh. “Twilight… Something wonderful is happening for me and I’m going to see it through. That said, if you choose not to approve of it…” Spike looked away from her and clenched his eyes shut. Twilight waited for a moment before she took a shaky breath and gently touched his shoulder with a hoof.

“Spike… You’re an adult now, capable of making your own decisions in life. My approval… it’s irrelevant in the long run. I am only concerned in regard to your royal duties.” she said. Spike looked at her as she continued. “I mean, I didn’t trust anyone else for the role of Ambassador. It had to be you.” Spike’s expression slowly turned into a smirk, which brought Twilight to a full smile as she used a wave of magic to clean off her face, as well as Spike’s, making him chuckle. “Now, today was a bit much… I think you need some time off.” she said, levitating Spike’s scroll away from him and reading it over for a moment. “Yes, today isn’t very busy, I don’t think both of us need to be here.” she said, smirking while Spike blinked a few times. “Well? Don’t you keep Sinuous waiting.” she said, waving him away with a hoof, coaxing him to smile.

“Thanks, Twi.” he said, lunging in to give her a hug before he turned and jogged out the doors.

Twilight sat alone for a while and sighed, hanging her head. Had she really been so blind? Of course she had, it’s why Celestia never stepped down until after all the nations gathered to stop Tirek, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis. Up until that day, she didn’t have the approval of her mentor, meaning she made too many mistakes and didn’t know what true friendship was. No, Spike was right. He was right about all of it, and yet he was still here with her after all these years.

“I don’t deserve a brother like him…”